A wide variety of items comprise materials which, in use, are dispersed or spread over an area. Many of these items include dry powder or particulate materials. The term “dispersible materials” as used herein is intended at least to include pellets, grains, powders, and any combinations thereof. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, icing salts, seeds, insecticides, chalk, etc.
Some improved arrangements for spreading particulate materials have been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,882,120 and 5,709,479. However, the arrangements have several problems relative to the particular usage disclosed herein.
The prior art bag arrangements are difficult to store and arrange because the bottom portion does not have a design which allows the bags to stand upright. A storage bag which stands upright for product storage and point-of-sale display is desirable because such a bag arrangement provides an easier method of storing and stacking for distributors and retail merchants.
Additionally, the prior art bag arrangements are not easily filled since they have limited expandability along the sides and bottom portion. This results in less volume and amount of material being filled into the bag. Also, the rib-and-trough closure system of prior art bag arrangements is expensive to manufacture and interferes with a bottom arrangement which would allow the bag to stand upright. Furthermore, often particulate materials become stuck inside the trough portions of the closure system. Undesirably, this may cause a lack of a good seal which can lead to leaks and/or contamination of the particulate material therein.
Accordingly, an improvement is sought which would be simpler and yet allow a bag to stand upright, while also providing for dispersability when desired.